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Linux on the Vomit Comet

Buddha writes "Ever dream about floating around? We're going to do it, with Linux. Everybody's seen Apollo 13, right? All those shots of Tom Hanks floating around were actually him floating around! The crew rented NASA's Vomit Comet to pull it off. We're a group of 4 MIT students, and we're training to fly on the Vomit Comet -- we're slated to fly in one week. Our testing software is all written for Linux. Follow us as we get ready. "

15 of 37 comments (clear)

  1. LinuxPPC by jabbo · · Score: 1

    duh.

    This is one of those "gawd, it HAS to be a troll" posts... but it had to be said. "They said it ran on Linux but they're taking an [Alpha|Sparc|UltraSparc|M68K|PalmPilot], hmmm..."

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    Remember that what's inside of you doesn't matter because nobody can see it.
  2. Binaural sound? by heroine · · Score: 1

    I believe one of the reasons they're going to observe decreased sound localization is that binaural methods really don't work. From a technical standpoint, you have two transducers so you should be able to reproduce every sound with two speakers. From a biological standpoint, the shape of the ear causes secondary reflections that actually help us localize sound as coming from behind, in front, up, or down. Headphones don't reproduce those secondary reflections and hence the existance of 5:1 sound systems.

  3. BZZZZZZT by patrikr · · Score: 1

    Wrong, but thanks for playing.

    It's "the Enlightened Sound Daemon", and it has NOTHING to do with Rasterman och Enlightenment.

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    All Glory To The Hypnotoad!
  4. vomit comet using linux by arielb · · Score: 1

    vomit comet...enlightenment themes...I get the connection :)

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  5. SPEW! by GypC · · Score: 1

    Oh boy! Those flyboys are gonna are gonna have fun watching a bunch of MIT nerds turn green... hehehehe
    .

  6. You're not missing anything. by Dast · · Score: 1

    You'd think students from MIT could make a better web page.

    Check out the fscking "buttons". They use images where text would work much better. Not to mention they cover up the link location with javascript crap.

    *sigh*

    Don't bother looking at it.

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    This sig is false.

  7. Testing software by Lysol · · Score: 1

    Funny. All the testing software is in Linux, yet they're takin up a G3... Hmm.

  8. Testing software by Spruitje · · Score: 1

    Hmm, a Powerbook G3series is very sturdy.
    Have dropped one of a table.
    Not a dent or scratch.

  9. That kicks ass! by Mojojojo · · Score: 1

    That totally kicks ass. I think the more we see Linux on unique systems like that and stuff like the more it will get it's name out. This is of course due to the power at hand and coustomizability. I set my mom up with SuSE 6.0 this weekend, and she likes Star Office 5. You gotta dig it! She was all worried, but now she likes it. I should make a page for getting computer retards to be able to use the computer. Linux easily gives you the ability t shield users from their own stupidity, and X can have a tailored interface so they don't ever see shit that confuses them. I've still got a lot of that to do. She still has to su root to shutdown. Mom doesn't care about leaving it on, she's too worried about a fire. I tried to soothe her. Anyhow, world domination is on the horizon my friends...Adventure ha! Excitement ha! A Jedi Craves not these things!

  10. I wanna do that by Tooky · · Score: 1

    Well that's two students at UMIST who wanna do this...but we'd prob have tot hink of something to test...wonder if we could Win98 not to crash at 0G??

    Steve
    --
    "You can have it fast.
    You can have it cheap.
    You can have it right.
    Pick two..." Or pick Linux

  11. Wowee! by Alfthemack · · Score: 1

    So you got the first post. Wah...

    Anyhoo, I just wanted to comment that what they're doing could actually have practical implications since the inner ear is hugely affected by weightless-ness. In addition, I damn sure want someone to hear me screaming if I'm floating in a space vessel. :^)

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    --Al
  12. 100 up & downs. by slashkitty · · Score: 1

    up to 50 minutes of weightlessness, but you make
    it up in 1.8 g sessions. very sick indeed.

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    -- these are only opinions and they might not be mine.
  13. /.ed. by Cowards+Anonymous · · Score: 1

    Was there anything interesting on the page before it got slashdotted?

  14. I wanna do that by Edd · · Score: 1

    Why doesn't UMIST (my university) ever let me do that, maybe if I asked nicely enough they would let me?

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  15. I wanna do that by Edd · · Score: 1

    I know what we can do :)

    See what happens to the MSS building when we drop large quantities of explosives on it from zero gravity. We may even get a beautification grant from the Council ;-)

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